Need Help with Photos at Character Meals

[Clubhouse5]

Hi!

I recently got a Canon T2i and love it so far. I was wondering if anyone could help me figure out what lens to use at character meals at Disney. Last year, I had my old Canon Rebel and used my kit 18-55mm and sometimes got great pictures, sometimes horrible depending on where I was. Chef Mickey turned out great for example, but the Princess meal at Norway turned out awful.

Since then, I have been trying to educate myself and get off of all the auto features.

I own the kit 18-55mm IS f/3.5-5.6, and just received the Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime "nifty fifty" lens this week. I was hoping to use the 50mm because it does well indoors/low light, but I am worried that I won't be able to get far enough from my kids and the characters to fit them in the frame (especially tall characters like Goofy). Some of the character meals are really tight on space!

I also have 2 telephotos, but I know those aren't going to help.

I have 3 kids (soon to be 7, 4, and soon to be 3 years old). I have to be quick to catch them in photos and have to be realistic about how often I can change my lens.

So my question is this - should I use the 18-55 at the character meals, or the 50mm?

And....I realize that neither of my lenses might be ideal. If you could pick a different lens that fits this situation, that costs less than $800 (I can dream!), what would it be?

Thank you so much for reading and for your help!

 

[mom2rtk]

I agree that the 50mm will be too tight at character meals. By the time you back enough to fit everyone in the frame, you're likely to be sitting at someone else's table!

Do you have an external flash? If not, get one. You can do a fairly decent job on program mode with your external flash.

Also, I highly recommend shooting thise in RAW so you can have more latitude to fix exposure and white balance issues at your leisure at home later.

I have a T2i as well. I'm doing a trip report that is linked in my signature below. I've already done our Chef Mickey night but have TONS more character meals to go includng Akershus.

Don't be afraid to ask the character to move out into the aisle more or to turn a different direction if it helps your shot. You want to work with any natural light you have. For example, at CRT, I will typically get them to adjust their position so the light hits them from the side.

 

[andytaro]

You will need to stop down anyway to get everyone in focus. Also you will be using wide end mostly due to limited space. That said, 50mm on 1.6x crop body will be very long for your purpose.

When I look at pics I took during char meals, I mostly used between 24-35mm (full frame camera) end. Also I used an external flash (430ex) during character meals. So my recommendation is to get an external flash rather than a lens to achieve better results.

 

[ukcatfan]

+1 on the external flash. I also suggest a diffuser like a Gary Fong.

 

[photo_chick]

I shoot crop (Canon 50D) and I've found that sometimes you can get away with the 50mm at character meals and sometimes you can't. It really depends on the table and general setup. And sometimes I have no problem with my 28-105 f/3.5-4 on there for a meal, while other times it's just not fast enough. Again, it really varies. That's why I put the 28-105 on there and take the 50 with me. I avoid the flash like the plague. Whether or not you go flash or fast lens really depends on your style.

If I could pick a different lens... the Sigma 30mm.

 

[DisneyKarenG]

I had this EXACT same question - with the same lenses!!

I have a speedlight flash, but I don't really want to lug it to WDW - is there a way to have the settings with the kit lens so that no flash would be needed?


I'm sorry, this should be in its own thread, shouldn't it? I'll start one!

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Just remember your photographic triangle. The best aperture you can get (at 18mm) is 3.5. Therefore, you would need a shutter speed fast enough to prevent camera shake and any motion blur (your choice-do you have stabilization?), then adjust the ISO as high as you need to get a good exposure. All of these depend on the existing light. I don't know which camera you have so I can't say how high your acceptable ISO is. You can only try. Otherwise, what about your onboard flash? As long as you are within about 10 feet of your subject that would work. This was taken at Tusker House with the onboard flash. It wasn't a kit lens, but was still taken at f4.5 (check the exif info). There was a little PP, but not much. It worked for me.


Daisy by Gianna'sPapa, on Flickr

 

[BigGreen73]

Great thread, good info. I too am starting to wonder about certain shots at WDW. Picked up a Sony A55 and a bunch of lenses last year. Have practiced a bit with the camera, but not too much lately. But even with practice at home, nothing prepares you for the multitude of photo opps at WDW. Maybe going back in Sept. Need to brush up for for that trip. I always take tons of character pics, parade pics, etc.

Keep the tips coming!

 

[traylorc]

I'm not a huge fan of using a flash, but in many instances a flash is very helpful with character shots. The lighting in those situations can be very challenging...and that's when fill light is your friend.